


The One Percents

by Tkeyla



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: 1_million_words, Established Relationship, Family, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2013-12-15
Packaged: 2018-01-04 17:52:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tkeyla/pseuds/Tkeyla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for Heffermonkey for the One Million Words Swap of Joy</p>
<p>Steve and Danny are dealing with sending Grace off to college, and the fact that their teen-age daughter Faith is doing that rebellious thing, including dyeing her hair purple. Family life is wonderful and frustrating and holds all kinds of surprises.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Percents

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heffermonkey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heffermonkey/gifts).



> Merry Christmas Heffermonkey. I had a great time writing this story. Hope you enjoy it too!
> 
> Thanks to Kaige68, my Queen, for organizing the Swap of Joy, and for cheerleading this story into existence.

  
Steve was laying curled around Danny, trying to offer physical and emotional comfort to him. It was equally for himself, he could admit in his own head.   
  
They were taking Grace to the Hilo Campus of Hawaiian State University tomorrow. It was located on the big island of Hawaii and they were flying over first thing in the morning. Even though it was only an hour away by air, Steve knew firsthand how hard it was to think about Grace leaving them for college. They were excited and proud but it represented a huge change in all their lives.  
  
“Tell me again about when you found out you were having Grace,” Steve said softly in Danny’s ear.  
  
“I’ve told you a thousand times,” Danny said with a tone of indulgence in his voice.  
  
“Then a thousand and one won’t make any difference,” Steve coaxed. He loved hearing Danny talk about finding out he was pregnant even though it hurt him that Danny went through so much doubt at first. “You were twenty,” Steve said to get him started, slipping his hand under Danny’s tee shirt to caress his stomach, one of his favorite places on Danny. But then all of Danny was his favorite place.  
  
“I was twenty and it was six months until I was going to graduate from Rutgers with my degree in criminal justice,” Danny said. “I had played fall baseball and we had attracted quite a few fans. One of them bought me too many drinks at a campus Christmas party and I ended up being his one-night stand. I discovered over Christmas break that I’m a member of the One Percent.”  
  
“The One Percent of men who can conceive,” Steve said with a note of envy in his voice.  
  
“That One Percent,” Danny agreed. “My parents were incredibly supportive. They didn’t know that the One Percent gene was in our family. I finished my classes, getting bigger and bigger by the week. You may have not noticed, but I’m not exactly a large guy.”  
  
“I had noticed,” Steve assured him with a kiss. “You are perfect-sized.”  
  
“Thank you, Gigantor,” Danny laughed. “I graduated, applied to the police academy, was accepted with a deferment until after the baby was born. I didn’t know how I was going to manage a new baby and a new school. But my mom and dad said they would be back-up. They weren’t thrilled with the circumstances of my pregnancy but they were overjoyed that they were going to be grandparents.”  
  
“So that September, Gracie was born.”  
  
“Yes she was - perfect, pink, healthy, and the most beautiful baby ever born up to that point in the history of all mankind. I think my parents were almost more excited than I was,” Danny said with his first smile. “I started at the Police Academy in January.”  
  
“Then became the youngest detective in Newark history.”  
  
“Yes, Steven,” Danny agreed. “While you were being abused in the name of the SEALs.”  
  
“Not quite the same time,” Steve said. “But close, I guess.”  
  
“Whatever,” Danny said. “Then when Grace was five, a certain sailor landed in my lap. He convinced me to move to this sand covered rock and to marry him. I finally convinced him to transfer to the reserves so he was here more than gone. He reluctantly did it and got a new, fabulous job.”  
  
“Sounds like a very smart man,” Steve said, kissing him in proof.  
  
“I suppose,” Danny teased. “After we’d been married for a year, we had Faith whom we both love although she does everything in her power to try our patience.”  
  
“She’s almost thirteen, Danno. She’s supposed to try our patience,” Steve reminded him.  
  
“Her hair is _purple_ , Steve. Purple,” Danny said in exasperation.  
  
“It’s her hair. And it will grow out. Why does it upset you so much that she did that?”  
  
“It’s so…rebellious. What’s next? Piercing her tongue? Getting tattoos to rival yours?” Danny asked.  
  
“I know you did things your parents didn’t approve of when you were her age,” Steve said patiently.  
  
“Hardly. I was _perfect_. Just like…well. I’m sure you were,” Danny said.  
  
“Except when you crashed your father’s car. And decided your mother’s wedding dress would make the perfect Halloween costume.”  
  
“Yeah, okay. Except on the rare occasion,” Danny had to agree. “I never dyed my hair purple.”  
  
“Let it go, babe. If it’s the worst she does, we’ll count ourselves lucky.”  
  
“I know,” Danny sighed. “At least she said she’d come with us tomorrow. It would break Grace’s heart if she refused.”  
  
“I don’t think she ever planned to not go. She mostly said she wasn’t to yank our chains.”  
  
“I suppose,” Danny said, slowly sitting up. “I’m going to check on them.”  
  
“They aren’t babies,” Steve said, leaving the bed with him. It was a habit that neither of them had tried to break, the need to make sure that both of their daughters were safe in their beds. Came from being policemen.  
  
“They’re our babies,” Danny said, leaving their bedroom. They looked in on Grace who was sound asleep. After silently closing her door, they went the few feet down the hall. They peeked into Faith’s room before pushing the door all the way open to enter. “Faith,” Danny said in exasperation. Her sheet was tented and they could see the glow from her computer underneath.  
  
“What?” Faith said, lowering the sheet enough to look up at her fathers. “I was doing homework.”  
  
“First of all, it’s after midnight. And secondly, school doesn’t start for another three weeks,” Steve told her. He held out his hand, frowning down at her until she handed over her computer.  
  
“Maybe I was getting ready for school,” she tried.  
  
“Are you planning to study…steampunk fashions and hair in seventh grade?” Steve asked.  
  
“Maybe,” she said, her arms folded in a posture of defiance. Her beautiful face with features from both her fathers was marred with an unhappy frown.  
  
“Uh huh,” Steve said, closing her computer and handing it to Danny. “Your computer privileges are revoked for a week.”  
  
“A _week_?” she said in protest. “That’s forever.”  
  
“Make it two weeks,” Danny said sternly.   
  
“But Dads,” she said, ready to complain about the punishment. A glance up at her fathers changed her mind. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, no regret in her voice.  
  
“Go to sleep, babe. We have to be up early to get Grace to Hilo,” Danny said, kissing her on the top of her purple head.  
  
“Can I have my privileges revoked for just one week? I need to be on it before two weeks,” she requested, defiance erased from her tone.  
  
“Two weeks,” Steve said. “Keep complaining and it will be a month.”  
  
“Okay,” she conceded, flopping down onto her bed. “’Night.”  
  
“Goodnight,” Steve and Danny said, leaving her bedroom and closing her door.  
  
“Make sure you find her iPad,” Steve reminded Danny.  
  
“I will. We’ll ask Chin to disable web surfing on her iPhone.”  
  
“There’s no way we’ll completely stop her from going online,” Steve pointed out.  
  
“I know we won’t. But we can make it harder for her,” Danny said. “This rebellion is normal, right?”  
  
“You know it is. Why are you obsessing over it?” Steve asked him, not for the first time.  
  
“With Grace gone, Faith is going to be on her own a lot more. Unless I quit Five-0,” Danny said, having the same conversation they’d had several times already.  
  
“She’s going to be fine, Danno. She’s responsible and mature for her age, even when she’s acting like a twelve year old. We’ll both quit once she’s in college so we can have all our time to ourselves,” Steve promised, kissing Danny’s grey/blond head before getting back in bed. “Get some sleep.”  
  
“Right,” Danny agreed, laying curled up against him and letting sleep take him over.  
  
~0~  
  
The trip to Hilo was uneventful although it was difficult for Steve and Danny. Admitting Grace was grown up enough to be in college was nearly impossible, letting her go even worse. Faith managed to behave the entire time, not acting out, to Steve and Danny’s combined relief. She even managed to be helpful with settling Grace into her dorm.   
  
As they were flying back to Oahu, Danny knew she had some tears in her eyes but she was not going to admit it to either of them. “Emotions are gross,” she had announced when she turned twelve and had made it her goal to never show any since. Steve and Danny could only imagine that she didn’t consider defiance an emotion. If she did, their lives would be less fraught with arguments.  
  
“Can we go surfing when we get home?” Faith asked as they were approaching the airfield.  
  
“Sure,” Steve agreed, glancing over at Danny who had very little to say on the flight back. “Are you coming?”  
  
“Yeah,” Danny said. “I put our boardies and your suit in the car before we left.”  
  
“We don’t have our boards,” Faith pointed out unnecessarily. Danny could hear the _DUH_ in her voice but at least she hadn’t said it out loud.  
  
“Kono is picking them up for us,” Danny said. He managed to keep any impatience he was feeling out of his tone.  
  
“Okay,” Faith said. “We’re going to the North Shore?”  
  
“Yeah,” Danny agreed. “I may watch. I’m feeling a little queasy.”  
  
“Didn’t you take your Dramamine?” Faith asked, sounding genuinely concerned and not put-out by her father’s possible ailment.  
  
“I did,” Danny said. “But the turbulence was stronger than it was.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Steve said as he landed the helicopter with barley a bump.  
  
“Not your fault, babe,” Danny assured him, taking off his headphones. He hung them from the ceiling, watching to make sure Faith put hers away as well.  
  
Steve disembarked last, after making all his final checks. Danny and Faith were at the car when he was finished, coming over to join them. “Anyone want lunch first?” he asked.  
  
“I’m not hungry,” Faith decided. “We can always get a puka dog at the beach.”  
  
“All right,” Steve agreed, getting into the driver’s seat as Danny and Faith piled into the car.   
  
“Can I call Grace?” Faith asked when Steve had pulled out of the parking lot.  
  
“Of course, baby,” Danny agreed, glancing over at Steve who was trying to hide his smile. He did wink at Danny, sure Faith couldn’t see.  
  
“Hey, Face,” Faith said softly. “Yeah, we just landed. We’re going surfing on the North Shore… I _know_ … right?... I know….” She laughed, flopping down to lay on the seat. “When are you coming home?... can’t you come sooner?... I know… I know…. Aloha,” she said, hanging up. She flung her arm over her eyes, not speaking the rest of the way.   
  
Steve and Danny had a silent conversation about whether or not to engage her but decided to let her work it out on her own. They would listen if she wanted to talk but knew from experience that if she did not want to discuss her _feelings_ with them, she would shut down.  
  
She jumped out of the car as soon as Steve had it parked, running down the beach to where Kono and Adam were sitting under a huge umbrella. The umbrella was in concession to having baby Malia with them. At nine months, she was still a little young for full, long time exposure to the sun.  
  
Steve and Danny took their time getting out the suits and a chair for Danny. Danny had the towels and chair while Steve was in charge of the suits and ice box. When they approached Kono and Adam, they could see a few tears still lingering on Faith’s cheeks. They didn’t mention it, Kono talking to her the way she always did. They knew Kono’s tone and understanding were calming her down, Kono one of her favorite people in the world. They understood that, feeling much the same way.  
  
“I’m going to change,” Steve said, sorting his boardies out of the pile. “Faith?”  
  
“I’m coming,” Faith said, sniffing once and standing up.  
  
“I’m going to change too, but probably not surf,” Danny said, taking his boardies as they all went over to the changing huts.  
  
“She’s fine,” Steve assured Danny when they were occupying the same tent.  
  
“I know,” Danny said, stripping off his clothes to pull on his boardies. “Good God. They shrunk again. Did you dry them?” Danny asked, pulling the string to get his trunks as secure as he could.  
  
“I didn’t dry them,” Steve said. “You’ve indulged in too many malasadas.”  
  
“Right. Because I don’t run with you three times a week, when I’m not running behind you while you chase a suspect you have no business chasing.”  
  
“Uh huh,” Steve said, not really listening. He kissed Danny quickly before they left the hut. Steve picked up his board, running out into the surf to try and catch up with Faith and Kono.   
  
Danny set up his chair next to Adam and Malia, watching Adam feed her. “I swear she grows a foot every day.”  
  
Adam laughed at that, kissing her head. “We can’t keep her in clothes.”  
  
“I know the feeling,” Danny said, looking out over the ocean to spot Faith standing on her board and laughing with her other father.  
  
“You get Grace settled?” Adam asked.  
  
“Yeah. Faith is more upset about it then she’s willing to admit to us,” Danny said.  
  
“Kono told her it was natural to be sad that life was changing. I think that helped,” Adam said, passing Malia to Danny when she held her arms out to one of her favorite uncles.  
  
“I hope so. She won’t talk to us about it.”  
  
“She still thinks emotions are gross?” Adam asked with a laugh.  
  
“Where does she get these ideas?” Danny asked, kissing Malia’s head and enjoying the feel of her soft curls.  
  
“The same place as she got the idea to dye her hair?” Adam asked.  
  
“You won’t find it quite so funny when it’s Malia with purple hair,” Danny warned, making Adam laugh even more.  
  
“As I am all too aware,” Adam agreed. “She’ll no doubt come to Faith for hints on how to do it.”  
  
“No doubt,” Danny said, shaking his head.  
  
“I’m surprised you aren’t out there,” Adam said with a nod toward the surfers.  
  
“Airsick from the trip,” he said, his free hand over his queasy stomach.  
  
“Sorry to hear that,” Adam said. “Would you mind if….?”  
  
“Of course not. Join your wife and my husband,” Danny said, waving out over the ocean.  
  
“I won’t be long,” Adam said, picking up his board and running into the surf with it.  
  
“Just you and me,” Danny told Malia who cooed at him, her tiny fingers buried in his hair.  
  
~0~  
  
The next morning, Danny had more trouble than usual waking up. He was glad it was Sunday so they had no place they had to be. He was barely aware of Steve leaving the bed as the sun rose, collecting Faith so they could go swimming. For all her teenage attitude, she still loved swimming with Steve, determined one day to best him. It hadn’t happened yet but Steve and Danny knew it was only a matter of time.  
  
Steve had emerged from the surf and had taken a shower, surprised to find Danny still asleep. “Danno?” Steve said, sitting on the edge of the bed and kissing him on the head. “You okay?”  
  
“Yeah. Just tired,” Danny said. “You going swimming?”  
  
“Faith and I have been already. You slept through it.”  
  
“Oh,” Danny said, taking a deep breath and sitting up. “You want pancakes?”  
  
“You sleep. I’ll feed Faith.”  
  
“And yourself. Feed yourself,” Danny said, laying down and falling back asleep before Steve was out of the bedroom.  
  
“Where’s Danno?” Faith asked when Steve entered the kitchen. She was sitting at the bar, three glasses of orange juice poured and waiting.  
  
“He’s getting some extra sleep,” Steve said, mixing up the pancakes.  
  
“What’s wrong with him?” Faith with a frown, studying Steve.  
  
“Nothing’s wrong, baby. He’s just tired.”  
  
“Are you sure? What if something’s wrong? What if he has malaria?”  
  
“Malaria?” Steve repeated. “Where did you that idea?”  
  
She shrugged, finishing her orange juice. “Danno’s never sick. He’d be worried if you were.”  
  
“He’s fine, Faith. He doesn’t have a fever. He isn’t puking. He’s just tired,” Steve assured her.  
  
“Okay,” she said, still frowning at him. “But I’m going to take him some juice.”  
  
“All right,” Steve agreed. The fact that she was so worried was encouraging to him and he knew Danny wouldn’t mind that she planned to wake him up. He’d go right back to sleep. Something you learned from being a father and a cop.  
  
“Danno?” she said as she slipped into their bedroom.  
  
“Hey baby,” he said, his eyes opening as she sat on the edge of the bed.  
  
“What’s the matter?”  
  
“I’m fine. I’m just tired,” Danny said much as he had to Steve.  
  
“You sure?” she asked, giving him the orange juice, watching as he drank it.  
  
“Of course I’m sure. Do you need me?”  
  
“No,” she said with a firm shake of her head.   
  
“All right, baby. I’m sure I’ll see you soon,” Danny said, watching as she left the bedroom. He thought about going back to sleep but decided to get up instead. He didn’t want to worry his husband or their daughter just because he felt like he hadn’t _ever_ slept.  
  
He felt more awake after a shower and went down to the kitchen.   
  
“Hey,” Steve said with a smile. “Feeling better?”  
  
“I am,” Danny confirmed, accepting a steaming cup of coffee from Steve. “I think the orange juice helped.”  
  
Faith tried hard to hide her smile at that, drinking from her juice. “Can I have more pancakes?”  
  
“Here you are,” Steve said, putting two more on her plate. “Danno?”  
  
“Yes please,” Danny agreed, admiring the beautiful pancakes Steve gave him. Some powdered sugar and a dribble of syrup and Danny was ready to indulge. “Delicious,” he said around a mouthful.  
  
“Eww…” Faith said, staring at her father. “You weren’t raised in a barn.”  
  
“Maybe I was,” Danny said, taking another big bite and chewing noisily.  
  
“I don’t think grandma and grandpa would appreciate you calling their house a barn,” Faith said, making her fathers laugh.  
  
“They’ll never know,” Danny reminded her, watching Steve eat his pancakes like he was in a race. “Talk about being raised in a barn.”  
  
“Our house is not a barn,” Faith said.   
  
“I think he was confined to the backyard until he went to Annapolis,” Danny said in a conspiratorial tone.  
  
“Probably,” Faith agreed. “We should confine him there.”  
  
“We could but who would make us pancakes?” Danny asked her.  
  
“I’m right here, you know,” Steve protested.  
  
“Did you hear something?” Danny asked Faith, making her laugh.  
  
“I think there’s a dolphin on our beach,” she decided.  
  
“I am SEAL,” Steve corrected firmly, trying hard not to laugh.  
  
“Not any longer,” Faith and Danny said simultaneously. That resulted in them sharing a high five, ignoring Steve’s protests.  
  
The rest of the day was gloriously uneventful, a day of domesticity. Faith helped Danny do the laundry, worked with Steve to make lunch, and fixed dinner mostly by herself. In between she was the sweet, funny, smart little girl they thought they had lost to the terrible teens. After she’d gone to bed, with no fuss and no arguments, Steve and Danny speculated that it was all an effort to get her computer privileges reinstated early. They agreed to stand firm and not give in.  
  
“I think she’s also missing Grace,” Danny said as they were getting ready for bed.  
  
“I think so too,” Steve agreed, sitting on the end of the bed to watch Danny. “I guess we should get some sleep so we can go chase criminals tomorrow.”  
  
“I guess so,” Danny said. “I’ll be right back after I pee. Again.”  
  
“You have been peeing more than usual,” Steve observed casually. “Are you drinking enough?”  
  
“I think so, yeah,” Danny said, disappearing into the bathroom. It wasn’t long before he returned to get into bed with Steve. “Is Faith still going to Kono’s tomorrow?”   
  
“We’re dropping her off to stay with Adam and Malia. We’ll pick up Kono while we’re there,” Steve agreed.  
  
“Okay. Good.”  
  
“Good,” Steve repeated, laying pressed close to Danny, very soon falling asleep.  
  
~0~  
  
Danny woke at his usual time the next morning even though he’d had to get up twice to use the bathroom. Despite those nighttime forays, he was feeling more rested than he had Sunday. He supposed it was emotional exhaustion more so than physical. At any rate, by the time Steve and Faith returned from their swim, he had the pancakes mixed and the coffee made.   
  
They were appreciative of his efforts, eating too many pancakes between them, apparently competing over eating like they had over swimming. Danny didn’t mind, having realized practically from the beginning that he was raising three children.  
  
“You kids need to shower and dress,” Danny said as he loaded the dishwasher. “Or we’ll be late for work. And no running in the house,” he yelled after them as they tried to be first up the steps. He shook his head, sipping his coffee as he waited.  
  
They dropped off Faith at Kono’s house, trading her for Kono. Adam appreciated Faith’s willingness to help with Malia so he could some work done from home. And Faith adored Malia and Adam so she never complained about helping out.  
  
Kono was also grateful to Faith, feeling less guilty about leaving Malia at home knowing she’d be there to help Adam. Not that Adam wasn’t an excellent father. But he sometimes got so caught up in his work, he seemed to forget he had a daughter.  
  
When they got to the office, Chin was already there. He said that no one had called, there weren’t any open cases, and apparently the criminal element of Hawaii was taking a holiday. With the office so quiet, they were able to get some dreaded paperwork out of the way. Danny resorted to bribing Steve with the promise of a brain-melting blow-job to get him to stay in his office and work on his own reports.  
  
Danny called Grace who sounded happy, much as she always did. She said she’d talked to Faith several times and what did Danno think of them coming the next weekend?   
  
Danny assured her that Steve would be on board with the idea and they wouldn’t have to convince Faith. They’d only have to convince her to wait until Saturday.  
  
“She’ll get used to you being there,” Danny assured her.  
  
“I know. It’s a really big change for her,” Grace said.  
  
“And for you,” Danny said.  
  
“I’m the one that left. She’s the one left behind. It’s harder on her,” Grace wisely pointed out.  
  
“You always were exceptionally smart,” Danny said with a smile, moving through the main area. When he got inside Steve’s office, he handed his phone to him, settling on the edge of his desk to listen to Steve’s side of their conversation.  
  
“Absolutely we’ll come, baby…We’ll get there around 9,” Steve said, listening and nodding. “Okay… You got it… Love you too.” He disconnected, returning Danny’s phone to him.   
  
“What?” Danny asked, studying Steve and what he thought of as Steve’s _thinking thinky thoughts_ face. Maybe he’d borrowed the name from Winnie the Pooh but that was his secret.  
  
“Nothing,” Steve said, shaking himself. “Kono and Chin should be back with lunch.”  
  
“Sounds good,” Danny said, going with Steve to the conference room. The second the smell of Kamekona’s garlic shrimp hit his nose he had to do an about-face and rush to the bathroom. Steve got there right afterwards, rubbing his back gently as Danny puked into the toilet.  
  
“What’s this from?” Steve asked in concern.  
  
“No idea,” Danny said when he could breathe. “I was fine. Then bam…it hit me.”  
  
“I think you need to go see Dr. Whittle,” Steve said. “You were queasy all day Saturday and slept a lot on Sunday.”  
  
“Isn’t that a little bit of an overreaction?” Danny asked as he made his way to the sink to rinse out his mouth.  
  
“Maybe. But if you have the flu or a virus, you need to find out now. Stop it before it takes firm hold,” Steve said.  
  
Danny was about to tell him that he was completely overreacting but one look at his own reflection in the mirror changed his mind. He looked pasty even for him. His eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. He didn’t know what was wrong but he thought Steve was right. He needed to find out before he could spread it to Steve and Faith, and even further to Chin, Kono and their families.  
  
“I’ll drive you,” Steve said, digging out the keys.  
  
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll make it to his office.”  
  
Steve studied him another moment before slowly nodding. “All right. But call me as soon as you see him.”  
  
“He probably won’t know right away what’s wrong,” Danny pointed out.  
  
“Maybe not. But he’ll know if you shouldn’t be driving.”  
  
“All right. I’ll call you as soon as I see him. First I have to pee,” Danny said, taking care of his business. When he was done and washed up, he followed Steve out. “I’ll call his office on my way.”  
  
“Okay,” Steve said, watching him leave before going into the conference room to update the cousins.  
  
“Shouldn’t you be taking him?” Chin asked in concern.  
  
“You know how he feels about me hovering,” Steve said. “He said he was fine to drive and would call me as soon as he knew anything.”  
  
“How do you feel, boss?” Kono asked, studying Steve.  
  
“I’m fine. Whatever it is, I don’t have it,” he said, pulling out his phone.   
  
Faith answered right away, assuring him she was fine. She was appropriately worried about Danno but knew he’d be fine.  
  
“Yes, baby, I’ll let you know as soon as he calls,” Steve promised before hanging up. He studied his shrimp, pushing it around on his plate.  
  
“Steve,” Chin said, his keys in his hand. “Come on.”  
  
Steve looked from the keys to Chin and back to his shrimp. “He hates it when I do that.”  
  
“Not as much as he likes to pretend,” Chin said. “Let’s go.”  
  
“He’s right. Let Chin take you,” Kono said, shooing them both out. “I’ll take care of this.”  
  
“All right. But I’m sleeping at your house if he throws me out,” Steve warned her, leaving the conference room so Chin could drive him to the doctor’s office.  
  
Danny was still in waiting room when he looked up to see Steve come in. He wasn’t even going to pretend to be surprised. Honestly, he should have just let Steve drive him.  
  
“Don’t be angry,” Steve requested, sitting next to him.  
  
“I’m not. And I’m not surprised,” Danny assured him, leaning closer to kiss his cheek. “Chin and Kono throw you out?”  
  
“Something like that,” Steve admitted. “Faith feels fine.”  
  
“Good,” Danny said with a nod. “Did you tell her we’re going to see Grace this weekend?”  
  
“Not yet. We’ll tell her Thursday. Or she’ll try to get us to fly over Friday. Or, you know, today,” Steve said.  
  
“Probably,” Danny had to agree. He leaned his head against the wall behind him, closing his eyes.  
  
“How are you feeling?” Steve asked, studying his pale complexion and his too-rapid breathing.  
  
“Weird,” Danny said without opening his eyes. “Not really sick, but not really myself.”  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“Why? You didn’t give me whatever it is,” Danny pointed out.  
  
“I know,” Steve had to agree. “Do you want some water?”  
  
“Not right now,” Danny said, standing when his name was called by the nurse. “Stay here.”  
  
“I will,” Steve said, looking up at him. “I promise.”  
  
“All right,” Danny said, sure Steve would end up in the exam room with him before he finished with the doctor.  
  
“Not feeling so great, huh?” Sarah asked as she walked with him into the back. She weighed him, noting that he’d gained a couple of pounds.   
  
“Huh,” he said, looking down at himself. “I haven’t been eating differently.”  
  
“It’s nothing to worry about,” she assured him. “I’ll take some blood now because I’m sure the doctor will want to run some tests.”  
  
He sat in the chair, not watching as she drew the blood from his arm. It didn’t really bother him but neither did he need to witness it.  
  
“Can you produce a urine sample?” she asked as she made notes in the computer.  
  
“Sure. I seem to have become a regular fountain,” he said, taking the cup and going into the bathroom. He soon returned to the lab room, setting the cup on the counter.  
  
“Let’s go to room four,” she said, leading the way. Once there, she took the rest of his vitals, noting his blood pressure was a little high as was his temperature. Not enough to be alarming but definitely indications that something was off.  
  
“The doctor will be here shortly,” she said, leaving him alone with an old magazine for company.  
  
It was only a few minutes later that Dr. Whittle entered. “What’s going on with you?” he asked, studying Danny over the top of his half glasses.  
  
“No idea. I’m mostly fine but slept a lot more than usual yesterday. We got garlic shrimp for lunch and the smell of it sent me to the bathroom.”  
  
“Nauseous?” the doctor asked, putting his stethoscope in his ears to listen to Danny’s chest.  
  
“Yeah. It started Sunday. It wasn’t serious. Just like an upset stomach. No, wait. It started Saturday but I thought it was from flying to Hilo.”  
  
“You took Grace to college,” Dr. Whittle said knowingly.  
  
“I thought that was the reason I was feeling off, until lunch today. _That_ wasn’t because of taking Grace.”  
  
“Hmm…” the doctor said, reviewing Danny’s chart again. “Steve’s okay?”  
  
“He’s fine. So is Faith. It’s apparently just me.”  
  
Dr. Whittle nodded, feeling under Danny’s chin. “There’s a flu bug going around. I’m guessing that’s what it is.”  
  
“I hadn’t heard about that,” Danny said. “It would make sense.”  
  
“I’m recommending that you stay home tomorrow. If you have it, you don’t need to give it to half of Honolulu. If it’s just a stomach bug, staying home will only help.”  
  
“Yeah, okay,” Danny agreed.   
  
“Drink extra fluids.”  
  
“Great,” Danny said. “I’ll have to pee even more.”  
  
“You’ve been urinating more than usual?” the doctor asked.  
  
“I should make camp in the bathroom,” Danny said.  
  
“Hmm…I’ll check for a bladder infection,” the doctor said.  
  
“I don’t have any other symptoms.”  
  
“Sometimes you don’t. We’ll check at any rate.”  
  
“Right,” Danny said. “Anything else I should do?”  
  
“Sleep as much as you need. Eat whatever you feel like. Do you need a note for your boss?” Dr. Whittle asked with a laugh.  
  
“He’s in your lobby waiting for me,” Danny said, also laughing.  
  
“Of course he is,” Dr. Whittle said. “Is there somewhere Faith can stay overnight? Just as a precaution?”   
  
“Yeah. She can stay with Kono and Adam.”  
  
“Good,” Dr. Whittle agreed. “I’ll give you a call as soon as we have the test results back.”  
  
“I appreciate it,” Danny said.   
  
“Go home. Get some sleep. I feel certain you’ll be back to 100% in no time.”  
  
“I will,” Danny confirmed, standing up to go out with the doctor. Steve was waiting for him, standing by the reception area. “I’m fine, SEAL-boy. Stand down.”  
  
“Is he?” Steve asked Dr. Whittle who was smiling at their normal mode of communication.  
  
“I think it’s the flu which is going around. He needs to take off the rest of today and tomorrow. I can provide a note, if you’d like,” the doctor laughed.  
  
“No note needed,” Steve said. “He’ll stay in bed as long as he needs to.”  
  
“Don’t make it sound like you are going to handcuff me to the bed,” Danny teased.  
  
“Not until you’re feeling better,” Steve said in a low voice, making the doctor laugh.  
  
“With that, I’m leaving you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Dr. Whittle assured Danny.  
  
“Thanks again,” Danny agreed, turning to look up at Steve. “Did you pay the nice ladies?”  
  
“I did. We’re ready to go home and put you to bed,” Steve said, reaching into Danny’s pocket for the Camaro keys.  
  
“Right,” Danny said, following him out. “By the by, I may have a bladder infection.”  
  
“Swell,” Steve said. “At least that would explain your frequent trips to the potty.”  
  
“Potty?” Danny repeated. “What? Are we four now? Not that you aren’t almost always four.”  
  
“Nice,” Steve said, unlocking the Camaro. “Seriously. How are you feeling?”  
  
“Not bad. Tired still. And a little queasy. As long as I don’t think about…you know…shrimp, I’m fine.”  
  
“Is there something you do want to eat?” Steve asked, glancing over at him.  
  
“We have some pudding at home. I’ll eat that.”  
  
“I’ll make it for you,” Steve said.  
  
“No you will not. You are going back to work.”  
  
“I’m not. There’s nothing going on. I can stay home with you. Help stop the spread of any more germs,” Steve said, sounding unusually reasonable, to Danny’s surprise.  
  
“Mmm…” Danny mumbled, leaning his back and closing his eyes.  
  
“Hey baby,” Steve said when he had dialed Faith.  
  
“Hey Daddy. How’s Danno?” she asked.  
  
“He just got finished seeing Dr. Whittle who thinks it’s the flu or a virus,” Steve told her, glancing over at Danny who seemed oblivious to the conversation.  
  
“Yuck,” Faith said.  
  
“Yeah. He suggested you stay with Kono and Adam tonight. Avoid getting it.”  
  
“Okay,” Faith agreed.   
  
“Are you feeling okay?”  
  
“Yes, Daddy, I’m fine. Do you want to talk to Adam? He’s right here.”  
  
“Sure. I’ll call you tomorrow when we hear from Dr. Whittle,” Steve told her.  
  
“Okay. Take care of Danno, okay?” she requested, sounding genuinely concerned.  
  
“I promise, baby.” He waited as she handed the phone to Adam.  
  
“Steve,” Adam said.  
  
“Did Faith tell you Danny wasn’t feeling well?” Steve asked.  
  
“She did,” Adam said. “Are you all right?”  
  
“I’m fine. But Dr. Whittle suggested she spend the night with you as a precaution.”  
  
“Of course,” Adam agreed. “She’s welcome any time. You know that.”  
  
“I appreciate it,” Steve said. “I’ll call as soon as we know anything about Danny.”  
  
“Please keep us posted,” Adam requested, disconnecting.  
  
It wasn’t long before Steve and Danny arrived home. Danny went straight into the downstairs bathroom to pee, again. Steve went into the kitchen to make the pudding, keeping an ear open for Danny.  
  
“Babe?” Steve called when too much time seemed to have passed.  
  
“I’m right here,” Danny replied from the living room.  
  
“You on the couch?” Steve asked, coming into the living room to look down at him. “You’d be more comfortable upstairs.”  
  
“Not yet,” Danny said. “I’ll go up in a little while. I want to watch some TV. Snuggle with my boyfriend.”  
  
“You’re having guests over?” Steve asked, pretending to consider it. “I better make more pudding.”  
  
“Get back in the kitchen,” Danny said, reaching over for the remote. He kicked off his shoes and made himself comfortable on the couch. He pulled the afghan from the couch back to lay over his legs and feet, feeling cozy. Even though it was in the 80s outside, the air conditioner was making the house nicely cool.  
  
“Pudding,” Steve announced, giving Danny a bowl of it. He sat on the opposite end of the couch, putting Danny’s feet in his lap. “What’s this?”  
  
“I have no idea,” Danny admitted, glancing over at the TV. “I was going to find some sports but decided to eat pudding instead.”  
  
“Mmm…” Steve said, turning to ESPN. “Here’s a baseball game.”  
  
“Yankees. Perfect,” Danny said, eating the pudding and watching the game. “That feels really good,” he said when Steve started rubbing his feet.  
  
“Good. Your ankles are swollen,” Steve said, stroking them gently.  
  
“It can’t be water retention. Not the way I’m peeing,” Danny said.  
  
“We should elevate your feet,” Steve decided.  
  
“You’re doing a fine job with that,” Danny said with a smile down for him.  
  
“Glad to be of service,” Steve said.  
  
Danny frowned when Steve’s stomach growled, the vibrations enough to shake his feet. “You didn’t eat, did you?”  
  
“Huh?” Steve said, turning to look at Danny.  
  
“Lunch. Did you eat lunch?” Danny asked.  
  
“No, I guess not,” Steve said with a shrug. “I’ll eat dinner.”  
  
“All right,” Danny agreed, putting the empty bowl on the coffee table.  
  
They watched the baseball game, Steve laughing when Danny complained about those stupid Yankees. How could he miss that grounder? Is the shortstop blind?  
  
“I can only imagine what you say about teams you hate,” Steve teased.  
  
“You’ve heard me. On more than one occasion,” Danny reminded him.  
  
“There is that,” Steve said, checking the listing when the game came to an end. “What’s your pleasure?”  
  
“I have no idea. We so rarely get to decide, I don’t think I can handle all the choices.”  
  
“It’s kind of nice, though,” Steve said. “Just us two. Watching whatever we want. No children to cater to or listen out for.”  
  
“You will miss them both before the day is out,” Danny told him.  
  
“I know,” Steve said with a smile. “But we can count the number of times we’ve been together without the kids on one hand.”  
  
“That’s true,” Danny had to agree. “That’s what happens when you decide to marry a single father and knock him up shortly after the wedding.”  
  
“Right. Because you didn’t want to have Faith as much as I did,” Steve said.  
  
“Then you don’t get to complain about the kids always being around,” Danny told him.  
  
“I wasn’t complaining. I was merely commenting that it’s nice to have you all to myself,” Steve pointed out.  
  
“Thanks,” Danny said with a smile down at him. “Don’t rush it though. In the blink of an eye, Faith will be going to college.”  
  
“Don’t I know it,” Steve said. “I treasure every minute with her. I also treasure our alone time, as rare as it is.”  
  
“Maybe we won’t get along when it’s just us,” Danny said, making Steve laugh.  
  
“Right. Because we aren’t meant to be together no matter what.”  
  
“Does seem that way,” Danny had to agree. “I will admit to liking this time with just us.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve agreed, smiling at Danny. “Too bad we can’t use the time alone for the horizontal tango.”  
  
“Try it and I’ll either puke or pee on you.”  
  
“Nice,” Steve laughed, moving aside the afghan when Danny sat up to swing his feet to the floor.  
  
“I’ll be right back,” Danny said with a sigh.  
  
“I’ll be here,” Steve promised, watching him go to the bathroom. He would never get tired of watching Danny any more than he could tire of the sunset or Faith’s laughter.  
  
~0~  
  
“Call me if you need me,” Steve reminded Danny when Steve was up and dressed the next morning.  
  
“It’s a virus, Steve. Not dysentery. Which I have no doubt you’ve experienced on more than one occasion in a remote, unnamed part of the world,” Danny said. He had slept through Steve getting up and getting ready. Steve had offered to make the coffee before he left but Danny found the idea of coffee off-putting.  
  
“Dysentery,” Steve repeated. “You have some very strange ideas.”  
  
“Okay,” Danny said, yawning. “Go to work. I’m going to get up in a little while.”  
  
“All right. Don’t do anything strenuous. And call me when you’re awake.”  
  
“Babe,” Danny said, putting a strong hand around Steve’s forearm to make sure he had Steve’s attention. “I’m fine. At worst it’s the flu. But I don’t think it is. Which means it’s a 24 hour virus.”  
  
“I know.” Steve stood up and nodded, resolving to leave this time. “I’ll talk to you later.”  
  
“Yep,” Danny agreed, watching him leave before letting his eyes drift back closed.  
  
The sun was streaming in the windows in its maddening fashion when Danny next woke. He turned over enough to see the clock that said he’d slept until 11:23. Oh well – that’s what sick days were for.  
  
After a quick trip to the bathroom, he checked his phone, not surprised to find 3 missed calls from Steve, 2 texts from Faith, 1 from Grace, and a voice mail from Kono.  
  
 _He’s driving us crazy_ Kono’s voice mail informed him. _If you aren’t better soon, we’re killing him. It was a tough decision but we don’t have any choice._  
  
Danny laughed at her message, calling her back first. She promised him that they wouldn’t actually harm Steve but if Danny was out any longer, she reserved the right to go back on her word.  
  
He went downstairs for a bottle of water, taking it out to the shade of the lanai. Once settled, he called Steve, assuring him he was fine.  
  
“Do you need anything?” Steve asked, sounding slightly breathless.  
  
Danny was listening carefully, frowning at the sounds he could hear. “You are at an active crime scene, aren’t you?” he said in scolding.  
  
“Maybe,” Steve responded. There was a sound that was no doubt gun fire way too close to Steve for Danny’s comfort. “I have to go.”  
  
“I guess so,” Danny said, disconnecting and shaking his head at the goof he’d chosen to marry. It was a wonder both of them had survived this long.  
  
He was enjoying the quiet of the beach with only the sounds of the waves for company when his phone rang. As it was Dr. Whittle calling, he answered right away.  
  
“Hi,” Danny said.  
  
“Danny,” Dr. Whittle said warmly. “It looks like congratulations are in order.”  
  
“Congratulations?” Danny said. “I don’t understand.”  
  
“You are pregnant,” Dr. Whittle said, sounding delighted about the news.  
  
All Danny could hear were waves and a bird calling off in a distance. Everything else faded away. _Pregnant_. He was pregnant. _Oh God._ What was Steve going to say? A baby. They had one daughter in college and one with purple hair. They were in a very dangerous line of work. They kept strange hours, barely getting enough sleep as it was. Now they were going to have a baby?  
  
“Danny?” Dr. Whittle said. “Are you all right?”  
  
“Uhh…I think so?” Danny finally managed to reply.  
  
“I know this is a surprise,” Dr. Whittle said. “You’ll need to make an appointment with your obstetrician as soon as you can.”  
  
“Right,” Danny replied automatically.  
  
“Are you okay?” Dr. Whittle asked again. “Do I need to call Steve?”  
  
“No, no. I’m fine. This is…a shock.”  
  
“I know,” Dr. Whittle agreed. “I’ve called in a prescription for pre-natal vitamins. You know you need to drink plenty of fluids….well, you’ve done this twice before.”  
  
“Never this old,” Danny said, his concern showing through before he even thought about it.  
  
“You’re in excellent physical condition,” Dr. Whittle assured him. “This pregnancy shouldn’t pose any problems, for you or the baby.”  
  
“Right,” Danny said automatically. He was having trouble focusing on the conversation as though it didn’t really involve him.  
  
“Call your obstetrician,” Dr. Whittle repeated. “Then call Steve.”  
  
“Steve. Right,” Danny said, the buzzing still way too loud in his head. “Thank you.”  
  
“You’re welcome,” Dr. Whittle said, still sounding concerned. “Call if you have any questions or concerns.”  
  
“I will,” Danny said, disconnecting. He needed to think. To say he was shocked to discover he’d conceived Steve’s child was an understatement. They had always agreed that Faith would be their last baby. But now they were going to add to their family. What was Steve going to say? The conversations over the past few days replayed in his head – how nice it was that they were getting some time alone, that they would have all their time to themselves once Faith was in college. Now that had changed. They were going back to diapers and formulas and midnight feedings.   
  
Danny shivered in the warm air when he thought about not sleeping, not having time for anything for the baby. He and Steve were almost 40. They couldn’t start over, not now.   
  
But what was the alternative? He couldn’t even contemplate any decision other than having this baby. It was just so…huge. The news of this pregnancy was more of a shock than it had been when he’d found out he was having Grace. He was young enough and foolish enough to think he could handle anything, even fatherhood.   
  
The news of Faith was joyful and perfect. He and Steve were married, settled mostly, together. But this baby…this baby would graduate from high school when they were nearly 60, if they lived that long. Steve tried on a daily basis to find new and interesting ways to get them killed so 60 seemed a lofty goal.  
  
But, Danny realized, having this baby would mean he’d have to take leave from Five-0. He couldn’t put the baby in harm’s way by chasing Steve all over Hawaii. Not being the back-up would endanger Steve even more.   
  
And what would Faith say about having a baby sister or brother? As much as she loved being with Malia, she was struggling to find her own identity, to be more than the daughter of two semi-famous policemen. Having one of her fathers pregnant could ramp up the rebellion ten fold. That’s all they needed - for her to decide to run away and join the circus. Did children still do that? He couldn’t remember there being a circus in Hawaii so that didn’t seem likely to happen.   
  
He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there considering all the ways their lives were about to change when he heard Steve coming through the house.  
  
“Danno?” Steve called when he was at the back door. “Are you out here?”  
  
“I’m right here,” Danny said, watching Steve leave the house. He was still wearing his TAC vest, there was a rip in his shirt, and on his arm was smeared what looked suspiciously like blood.   
  
“What’s wrong?” Steve asked, squatting in front of him. “Dr. Whittle called and said I should come home. Are you okay? Are you seriously ill?”  
  
“Why is there blood on your arm?” Danny asked, still feeling dazed by the news. He lifted Steve’s torn shirt sleeve, relieved that there were no wounds visible, his beautiful tattoo unharmed.  
  
“I’m fine. It’s the perp’s blood. Why did Dr. Whittle tell me to come home?” Steve asked, his face twisted in worry. He was staring up at Danny, his grey eyes wide in fear.  
  
“I’m not sick,” Danny told him, laying his palm on Steve’s cheek. His thumb caressed Steve’s mouth, the mouth he loved to kiss whenever he had the chance. That might explain why he found himself in his current condition. He startled Steve by laughing at his own internal joke.  
  
“What’s wrong, Danno? Please talk to me,” Steve requested. Steve’s hands were warm on Danny’s knees as he gazed up at him with love.  
  
“I don’t have the flu or a virus,” Danny told him. “I’m not sick at all.”  
  
“Then what’s wrong? Why did Dr. Whittle call me?” Steve asked, confusion mixing with worry on his face.  
  
“It turns out that...I’m… well… uhm…we’re going to have a baby,” Danny finally blurted out.  
  
“What?” Steve said. He could not have heard correctly. Danny couldn’t have said what Steve thought he’d said. “We’re what?”  
  
“Having a baby, Steve. I’m pregnant,” Danny said, watching Steve’s reaction closely. The worried melted as the words sunk in, happiness replacing his concern.  
  
“Pregnant,” Steve said, laying one hand over Danny’s stomach. “We’re having a baby?”  
  
“Yes that’s what _pregnant_ generally means. At least to most people. It could mean something entirely different to you of course. Even after all this years, I can never be sure how that scary brain of yours works.” Danny stopped with the realization that he was babbling. It was his default when he was this nervous. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Sorry?” Steve said, shaking his head like he was trying to understand what Danny was saying. “Why would you even say that?”  
  
“We’re too old to have another baby,” Danny said. He could feel some tears welling up. He was _not_ going to cry. And if he did, he was solidly blaming it on hormones. “We’ll be almost 60 when he or she graduates high school. We just talked about how much we are looking forward to having time to ourselves. That’s all gone out the window.”  
  
“Danno,” Steve said, reaching up to kiss him. “I don’t care how old we are and will be. We’re going to bring another McGarrett-Williams into the world. This is the best news I’ve heard in a very long time. Aren’t you happy about it?”  
  
Danny shrugged, closing his eyes momentarily against the joy shining in Steve’s eyes. “I want to be as happy as you are. But…what is Faith going to say? And we’re talking about midnight feedings, dirty diapers, no sleep. We thought those were all behind us.”  
  
“We did,” Steve agreed. “But this baby is a gift. An unexpected, wonderful gift. I’m overjoyed.”  
  
“Really?” Danny said, studying him. There was no reservation in Steve’s expression, his happiness unqualified. “You should have told me you wanted another baby.”  
  
“I didn’t know I did until three minutes ago,” Steve told him. “We have two perfect children already. The idea of having a third one thrills me.”  
  
“It does, doesn’t it?” Danny said, finally able to smile down at Steve. “A baby. We’re having a baby.”  
  
“Yes we are,” Steve said. There was a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes before he lay his head on Danny’s stomach. “Hey there little one. This is your other father. We’re very happy about you being in there.”  
  
Danny laughed at Steve’s conversation, pulling him up to kiss him. “We need to tell Faith. I’m not sure she’s going to be so happy about it.”  
  
“She’ll adjust. I’m going to take a shower then I’ll go to Adam’s and pick her up.”  
  
“All right,” Danny agreed. “Stop for pizza, please.”  
  
“You got it,” Steve agreed, stooping to kiss him. “Should we call Grace when Faith and I get back?”  
  
“We should wait until this weekend,” Danny suggested. “I’d rather tell her in person.”  
  
“That makes sense,” Steve said. “All right. One child and two pizzas coming up.”  
  
“Get pineapple and ham on the pizza,” Danny requested.  
  
“Well,” Steve laughed. “If there was any doubt about you being pregnant, that nails it.”  
  
“Right?” Danny said, rubbing over his stomach. “Hurry up. We’re hungry.”  
  
“You got it,” Steve said, going into the house to shower.   
  
Danny was content to wait in the shade of the lanai, feeling no need to do anything at the moment. He knew their lives were about to become a whirlwind so these few moments of peace were to be savored.  
  
“But I don’t understand,” Faith was saying as she and Steve left the house. Danny could hear the forming petulance, the rebellion always just under the surface. “What’s wrong?” she demanded of Danny as soon as she was on the lanai, looking from Danny to Steve and back to Danny. Her arms were crossed over her chest, a frown firmly etched on her face.  
  
“Nothing is wrong, baby,” Danny said. “We have some news.”  
  
“News?” Faith repeated. “What kind of news?”  
  
“We’re hoping it’s good news,” Steve said, a warm hand on her shoulder.   
  
“I don’t understand,” Faith said, scowling unhappily at her fathers. “Just tell me.”  
  
“I’m pregnant,” Danny said, doing as she asked.  
  
“Oh, that’s a good one,” Faith laughed. “Now tell me what’s really going on.”  
  
“That’s it, Faith. Danno’s pregnant,” Steve said, exchanging a glance with Danny.   
  
“But you’re like…old,” Faith said, her frown returning. This one was unhappy and confused. “You can’t be pregnant.”  
  
“I am, Faith. And I’m not that old,” Danny told her.   
  
“Wait,” Faith said. “You’re pregnant.”  
  
“That’s right,” Danny said.   
  
“Eww…” Faith said. “That’s gross.”  
  
“Gross. What do you mean, gross?” Danny asked, looking up at her. He glanced at Steve, his expression clearly asking _what the hell?_  
  
“That means you two are… _doing_ it,” she said in near disgust.  
  
“If by _doing it_ you mean making love, then yes, your father and I do,” Steve said calmly. “We are married. And that’s how we got you, you know.”  
  
“Eww…” Faith said, crinkling her nose and grimacing like she’d eaten something that didn’t agree with her. “That’s just gross.”  
  
“Faith,” Danny said, standing up to put a hand on her shoulder. “Your father and I are in love. There’s nothing gross about that. And now I’m going to have a baby.”  
  
“Stop saying that,” she said, her hands over her ears. “I don’t want to know about this.”  
  
“You can’t pretend it isn’t true,” Steve told her. “Pretty soon it’s going to be obvious to everyone.”  
  
“Stop. Stop talking about it,” she demanded, stomping her foot.  
  
“Did you think it was gross when Kono was pregnant with Malia?” Danny asked her gently.  
  
“Kono’s not my dad. Kono’s not old.”  
  
“I’m not that old,” Danny protested.   
  
“You are too old for…that,” Faith protested.  
  
“For _that_?” Danny repeated. “To make love to your father? To have a baby? For what?”  
  
“All of it. It’s…”  
  
“I know. _Gross_ ,” Danny said before she could.  
  
“It is,” she shouted.  
  
“All right,” Steve said, deciding it was time to intervene. “Let’s have some pizza and discuss this like adults.”  
  
“I’m not an adult,” Faith said. “I’m…”  
  
“Come on, baby. You’ll feel better after some pizza,” Steve coaxed, trying to herd her inside. He could see the hurt on Danny’s face, Faith’s words cutting him to emotional shreds. Steve knew it was the surprise that was making her say those things but she had wounded Danny in a way Steve could hardly stand to witness.  
  
“I’m not hungry,” Faith yelled. “I won’t feel better. I can’t believe you are doing this to me. You’ve ruined my life.” With that, she turned and stormed into the house, slamming as many doors as she possibly could to express her unhappiness.  
  
“Well,” Steve said, looking at the doors that had been nearly slammed off their hinges. “That didn’t go especially well.”  
  
“That’s an understatement,” Danny said. “I’ll go talk to her.”  
  
“All right,” Steve said. “I’m sorry, Danno. I really thought she’d be okay with it.”  
  
“I wasn’t entirely sure about her reaction but I never expected this,” Danny admitted.  
  
“Do you want me to talk to her?” Steve offered, taking Danny into his arms.  
  
“No. I’ll do it,” Danny said. “I’m the one who’s knocked up.”  
  
“It’s my fault,” Steve reminded him. “I’m the one you’re having _gross_ sex with.”  
  
“Only you, babe, only you,” Danny said, patting him gently on the cheek. “Put the pizza in the oven. Your pup is still hungry.”  
  
“My pup? Are you having a baby seal?”  
  
“Apparently. From Faith’s reaction, it’s an alien who will take over the world,” Danny said, going inside and directly upstairs. He knocked on Faith’s door, not surprised when she didn’t answer. “Faith?”  
  
“Go away,” she said. He could hear the tears in her voice and it tore at him. When either of his daughters was upset, he wanted nothing more than right every wrong done to them, to make it all better. But this time, he was the wrong, the one who had ‘ruined her life.’  
  
“Faith,” he said gently as he opened her door. She was laying face down on her bed, sobbing like her heart was really and truly broken. “Don’t cry, baby girl.”  
  
“How? How could you do this to me?” she sobbed.  
  
“I know you’re upset,” Danny said, sitting on the edge of her bed. “But we aren’t doing this to hurt you.”  
  
“You have anyway,” she said, scooting further away from him.  
  
“We were really hoping you’d be as happy about this as we are,” Danny said, wishing he could find a way to stop her tears.  
  
“What’d Grace say?” she asked, still shooting tear covered daggers at him.  
  
“We haven’t told her. We thought we’d tell her this weekend, when we fly over to see her.”  
  
“We’re going to see Grace-face?” Faith asked, sniffing and getting calmer.  
  
“Steve and I really miss her. And we know you do too. She said she’d love for us to come on Saturday,” Danny said. “I can tell you when we told her you were going to come into our lives, she was really happy. I wish you were, baby.”  
  
“I won’t be your baby much longer,” she sniffed.  
  
“You will always be our baby. Always. Will I ever stop being your Danno? Will Steve ever not be your Daddy?”  
  
“No,” she said softly. “Where will the baby sleep?”  
  
“We haven’t gotten that far. At first, he or she will be in our room. It will make things easier. After that…” Danny shrugged, putting one hand on Faith’s shoulder, glad when she didn’t shrug it off.   
  
“Can I call Grace and tell her?” Faith asked, her blue-grey eyes wide.  
  
“Will it help for you to talk to her?” Danny asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
“Uh huh,” Faith said nodding.  
  
“How about this? How about we go downstairs and Skype with her? Then we can all tell her at once,” Danny suggested.  
  
“When will the baby be born?” Faith asked quietly.  
  
“I’m not exactly sure. May or June I think. I still have to go see Dr. Maple.”  
  
“He’s the one who delivered me?” Faith asked.  
  
“Yes he is. He did such a good job with you, I wouldn’t trust this baby to anyone else,” Danny told her.  
  
“Are you quitting your job? What if Daddy gets you shot?”  
  
“I’ll take a leave of absence,” Danny agreed. “I’ll probably stay in the office. I’ll run intel until I take paternity leave.”  
  
“You can barley use a computer,” she said, a tiny smile breaking through.  
  
“True. But I have six months to learn. And I managed when I was waiting for you to come into our world,” Danny said.  
  
“Yeah,” Faith said with a sigh. “I’m sorry I was mean.”  
  
“It’s a surprise, baby. I understand.”  
  
She nodded, sitting up to lean against him. “Can I name this baby?”  
  
“Yes,” Danny laughed. “We have veto power just like we did when Grace named you.”  
  
“Okay,” Faith said. “Let’s go call Grace-face.”  
  
“All right,” Danny said, standing up and holding out his hand. He was glad when she took it and went downstairs with him.   
  
“For the record, it’s still gross that you and Daddy do _that,”_ she said, looking up tentatively at Steve. When he smiled at her, she stepped into his open arms, hugging him. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“I know, baby,” he said, kissing her head. “You want some pizza?”  
  
“We’re going to Skype Grace and tell her,” Danny said.  
  
“That’s an excellent idea,” Steve agreed, going into the office with them.   
  
Faith sat in the chair while Steve and Danny stood behind her. Grace answered right away, smiling at Faith.  
  
“Hey Face,” she said in greeting.  
  
“Hey Face,” Faith responded. “Guess what?”  
  
“Your computer privileges aren’t revoked any longer?” Grace laughed.  
  
“No,” Faith said, glancing back at her fathers. “I wish.”  
  
“Right,” Grace said, looking at her fathers through the computer screen. She relaxed a fraction when she failed to see any tension on their faces. “So what’s up?”  
  
“We’re going to have a baby,” Faith said, sounding genuinely excited about the idea. Grace frowned for a second until she saw Steve pointing at Danny.  
  
“We are?” Grace said, sounding as excited as Faith. “This is huge.”  
  
“Right?” Faith said. “I get to name it.”  
  
“That only seems fair,” Grace said with a laugh. “When is this baby arriving?”  
  
“Summertime. So you’ll be here,” Faith said. “And I’ll be out of school. Danno’s going to take a leave of absence so Daddy can’t get him shot.”  
  
“I should hope so,” Grace laughed. “Sorry, Daddy,” she said when Steve frowned at her.  
  
“It’s all right, Grace-face. I don’t want anything to happen to any of my babies,” Steve said.  
  
“How’s school? Do you have lots of new friends?” Faith asked.   
  
Steve and Danny backed away from the computer, letting Faith chat with Grace by herself. They went into the kitchen so Danny could devour the pizza, barely stopping to breathe.  
  
“I told her she could name this baby,” Danny told Steve between slices.  
  
“I got that,” Steve said, refilling Danny’s water glass. “You reserved veto, right?”  
  
“Of course. We really don’t need Team Jacob McGarrett-Williams,” Danny said.  
  
“She’s moved on. Now it’s all about Tris Prior,” Steve said.  
  
“Tris Prior McGarrett-Williams is a mouthful,” Danny laughed.  
  
“I guess if it’s a boy, it could be Tobias McGarrett-Williams,” Steve said.  
  
“Well, she knows we won’t allow her to name the baby Divergent McGarrett- Williams.”  
  
“Now that would be quite the name,” Steve said, laughing at the vision of it.  
  
“Hey,” Faith said when she burst into the kitchen. “Grace said I can have her room and we can make my room the nursery.”  
  
“Is that what you want to do?” Steve asked her, giving her two slices of pizza.  
  
“I like Grace’s room. It’s bigger than mine. And we can paint it,” Faith said.  
  
“Not black,” Danny said with a shudder.  
  
“Black?” Faith said. “Why would we paint it black?”  
  
“Why did you dye your hair purple?” Danny asked in reply.  
  
“Let it go, Danno,” Faith said, looking up at Steve for reinforcement.   
  
“Yeah, Danno. Let it go,” Steve said, kissing Danny’s head. “It’s still early. Do you want to go to the hardware store and look at paint samples?”  
  
“Can we?” Faith asked in excitement. “We need to repaint my room too. Make it a nursery. Can we paint it teal? That’s a good color when you don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, right?”  
  
“It’s a very good color,” Danny agreed.  
  
“And we can pick out a border. With fish or the ocean. So the baby will be ready to surf as soon as it can walk,” Faith said, practically quivering with excitement.  
  
“That’s an excellent idea,” Steve agreed. “Are you coming?” he asked Danno who was eating another slice.  
  
“I think I’ll stay here,” Danny decided. “Digest this pizza and make sure the pup doesn’t object to it.”  
  
“The _pup_?” Faith said, crinkling her nose. “It’s not a seal.”  
  
Danny laughed, reaching over to kiss her. “That’s exactly what Daddy said.”  
  
“Like father, like daughter,” Faith reminded him, grabbing Steve’s hand to haul him to the front door. She was still talking a mile a minute, which was an excellent sign that things were going to be okay. There were going to be adjustments for all of them but they were going to be fine.  
  
~o0o~  
  
Danny was holding the baby when Steve, Grace, and Faith tiptoed into the birthing suite. He smiled over at them, motioning them to come in.  
  
“He’s still asleep,” Danny told them. He lowered the edge of the blanket so the baby’s big sisters could get their first peek at him.  
  
“He’s all wrinkly,” Faith said, carefully touching his tiny pink hand.  
  
“He’s beautiful,” Grace said, smiling down at the baby with light brown curls all over his head. “Can I hold him?”  
  
“Of course,” Danny said, handing the baby to her. She held him perfectly, supporting all his tiny limps. “Have you decided on a name?” Danny asked Faith who was staring down at the baby in complete awe. “Faith?”  
  
“Huh?” Faith said, turning her focus on Danny. “What?”  
  
“Have you decided on a name?” Danny asked, smiling up at Steve when he sat on the bed next to Danny.  
  
“Zain,” Faith said.   
  
“Zain McGarrett-Williams,” Danny said. “That is an excellent name.”  
  
“You know she’s naming him after one of the guys in One Direction,” Grace said with a laugh.  
  
“One direction where?” Steve asked.  
  
“Daddy….” Faith said. “You know who One Direction is. You and Danno took me and Maka to their concert for my birthday.”  
  
“Oh…” Steve said. “ _That_ One Direction. I thought the name of the band was _Oh my God oh my God.”  
  
_ “You did not,” Faith said, leaning up against Steve’s leg.   
  
“He’s not some crazed drug addict, is he?” Steve asked, making Faith frown at him.  
  
“ _Daddy_.”  
  
“All right. I’m sorry. Zain is a very nice name,” Steve agreed.   
  
“It is a very nice name,” Danny agreed, smiling at his family. If his heart was any more full of love, it would burst open with no hope to contain it. Which, really, is the way it should always be.

**Author's Note:**

> Heffermonkey's original request:
> 
> _AU M-preg (established verse where Mpreg is normal - no magic beans or weird curses); Parenting in the McGarrett-Williams household- Grace is off to college and their thirteen year old (son or daughter, you decide) has begun the 'terrible teens' rebellious stage. A surprised Danny finds out he's pregnant again and worries about telling Steve as this one is unplanned and throws a cog into their plans for the future._
> 
> Hope I came close!!


End file.
